The thinking behind this blog is really simple: The guilty should be prevented from reoffending and the innocent should not be convicted -- not very complex but often not achieved.

The spotlight is also thrown on feral law enforcement

Thursday, January 07, 2016

Married British cop gets three years after seducing vulnerable victims of domestic abuse and meeting them for sex in his patrol car while on duty

A married police officer who ‘wilfully abused’ his position by seducing vulnerable victims of crime and even having a child with one of them was jailed for three years yesterday.

PC Simon Salway, who was specially trained in domestic violence cases, targeted women when they contacted police for help.

The 39-year-old constable often arranged to meet them for sex while on duty in full uniform. Some encounters took place in his patrol car.

He had to rush out of one woman's flat when he was called on his police radio to attend a raid at a cannabis factory – but returned afterwards.

On another occasion he had unprotected sex with a woman in an alleyway outside her flat.

Salway, who was based in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, was found guilty last month of six charges of misconduct in a public office involving five women.

He was cleared of a seventh charge involving a sixth victim.

Sentencing him yesterday at Luton Crown Court, Judge Richard Foster said he had ‘let down the entire police force and its reputation’.

He added: ‘Police are in a special position of trust when dealing with such people and the public expect them to act with absolute integrity. Your conduct fell woefully short of these expectations.’

None of the victims – all of whom were in their 20s and 30s- were available to comment last night.

Salway, who joined Hertfordshire Police in 2003, was suspended from the force after he was arrested by colleagues last March. He will now be dismissed.

He followed a pattern of winning his victims’ trust, flirting with them and then sending sexually-charged text messages.

Some were particularly vulnerable as they had been subjected to violence by their partners.

Prosecutor Gregory Perrins told the jury the defendant had ‘wilfully abused’ his position of trust.

‘He was opportunistic and saw every encounter with a young, vulnerable woman as an opportunity for sex,’ he said.

Salway offending ran from 2006 when he took a statement from a woman facing arson threats at her home. He began texting her and kissed her during several meetings.

He met the next woman in July 2007 when she witnessed a robbery and received threats about giving evidence.

He ‘chatted flirtatiously’ with her while taking a statement and soon began a sexual relationship, during which he sent a compromising photo of himself and she sent messages including one that talked of ‘our hot bodies rubbing together’.

They regularly had sex at her flat but she ended the relationship in September that year when she discovered he was married.

A week later the woman revealed she was pregnant by him when his suspicious wife, Samantha, called her. She gave birth to the child in May 2008.

Salway came into contact with the other woman he had sex with in October 2013 when she was threatened by an ex-partner.

She became upset during a meeting about the man only receiving a caution and ‘let him hug her’.

Mr Perrins told the court: ‘When the hug finished she said he looked at her breasts and told her “You’ve got quite a big bust there. They are quite big, aren’t they”.’

He then got her to perform a sex act on him before saying: ‘I’d better get back to work.’

They had sex in an alleyway outside her flat one time when she went outside for a cigarette. He followed her and took her clothes off.

Salway pursued another woman the same year when he was sent to see her about problems with her former partner.

They exchanged nearly 1,500 texts between August and December, including requests she send him provocative photos and videos. She backed off when she realised they were inappropriate.

Two other women were pursued by the defendant but quickly realised he had overstepped professional boundaries, the court was told.

The charge Salway was cleared of involved one of the women.

The officer also kissed a woman in 2011 after visiting her home following a report her ex-partner had stolen some property from her. The woman told him she was not interested in seeing him.

Salway, whose wife did not accompany him to court, was arrested and a search of his locker at the police station revealed three mobile phones containing the women’s details.

In a police interview he admitted fathering a child with one of them but said his contact with the others had remained professional.

He added: ‘The impact of Salway’s actions has affected many hard-working and dedicated colleagues in the force who come to work to serve the public of Hertfordshire and who feel genuinely aggrieved by his appalling behaviour.’

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Dedication

In memory of Fatty Arbuckle, a good and innocent man whose movie career as a comedian was ruined by an opportunistic prosecution. The woman he was accused of murdering almost certainly died of natural causes. He was eventually cleared but the damage was done.

A thought

I love the Mae West story where some judge wearing a robe during the middle of the day, and seated in a high chair peered down and asked her, 'Are you showing contempt for my court?' To which she replied, 'I’m doing my best not to show it, your honor.' Maybe we need to give up trying to not show it."